Britannia & Co

"Exotic Parsi & Iranian Cuisine"​

Yet another cultural icon in the Mumbai gastro-scape that had yet remained undiscovered by my molars, today was the day. Fresh from a 25 hour trip from Istanbul via Delhi, delays, baggage chaos, taxi's, hotel disasters and an Uber nightmare with disappearing wifi signals and confused drivers, I finally was dropped off outside the doorway to Britannia & Co, ready to meet my friends Ritu & Andreas and finally sample some Parsi fare.

As I arrived first the owner took me under his wing and delved into my upbringing in Ooty. We chatted as his dog lay on the desk wagging it's tail in tandem with the fan. I told him my friends were on the way to which he motioned "Don't worry, the table is yours no matter how long they take". Within five minutes we were seated and relayed the ordering duties to Ritu since she had been before.

Moments later heaped plates of delicate food was placed down before us and we paid no heed to decency. We dove in like carnivorous beings starved of sustenance. 

Of all three dishes we ordered, they were all great. The biryani was the least memorable for me, whilst the other two specialities (salli boti and the berry pulao) sung with gentle seduction. The worlds smallest coke bottles helped wash down the mass of food until we pushed back our chairs a few inches to allow our stomachs to expand. ​

Meals like this are not only about the food, but most definitely about the locale. Restaurants that have seen decades pass by without almost blinking. Walls embedded with secrets. Lofty ceilings spinning dreams and desires around in rotations. Waiters dutifully tending to tables year after year with the same smile and same dedication. These are restaurants that will disappear in the future, replaced by glass and concrete and workers who serve an unseen boss. 

Hunt out these capsules of a time gone by before it's too late, colour your life with nostalgic glimpses to combat the coming dive into symmetric dissolution. 

These recommendations are just personal opinions based on my palate, things change, chefs get fired or replaced, places open-close, relocate, so take it all with a pinch of MSG  and discover your own gems too. But please do try a few of these, they have been researched exhaustively.